Monday, March 26, 2007

Go GodTube...!!!!

I just stumbled across GodTube on the Internet, a "still in beta" Christian alternative to the immensely popular and sometimes vulgar YouTube, which I personally tend to stay away from unless someone recommends a specific clip for viewing. For me, randomly browsing through YouTube looking for good things to watch can be a bit like looking for a piece of desert somewhere in a garbage can ... but, that's a purely personal opinion I might should have saved for another day...! (Smile!)

Anyway ...

Here is an interview with GodTube's founder and DTS grad, Chris Wyatt; a couple of cute takeoffs on the great Mac vs. PC commercials that underscore the difference between just being a Christian and being a true Christ follower; and another, much more edgy, parody clip targeting young people.

Those original Mac commercials, by the way, were some of the funniest I have ever seen. The one that showed the PC guy "freezing" every few moments was painfully brilliant, in my opinion! So much so, in fact, that as hard as it is for a die hard Windows guy like me to admit, my next laptop will probably be a Macintosh, especially now that my favorite Bible software, Logos, will soon be available on that platform.

Trust you are having a great day and are off to a great week, walking with the God of the Ordinary...!








Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Weeping for the World

When I was a very mixed up teenager back in the 1970's, befuddled by the potent mix I had drunk of secular humanism and rationalism, served to me by popular media and more serious philosophy, Francis Schaeffer's writings took me to task and pointed me down the road back home to God. In Learning to Cry for the Culture, posted yesterday on Christianity Today magazine's website, John Fischer writes,


Francis Schaeffer was hard to listen to. His voice grated. It was a high-pitched scream that, when mixed with his eastern Pennsylvania accent, sounded something like Elmer Fudd on speed. As freshmen, unfamiliar with the thought and works of modern man, we thought it was funny. As seniors, it wasn't funny any more. After we had studied Kant, Hegel, Sartre, and Camus, the voice sounded more like an existential shriek. If Edvard Munch's The Scream had a voice, it would have sounded like Francis Schaeffer. Schaeffer, who died in 1984, understood the existential cry of humanity trapped in a prison of its own making. He was the closest thing to a "man of sorrows" I have seen.

I grew up with a Christianity that was predisposed against sorrow. To be sad was to deny your faith or your salvation. Jesus had made us happy, and we had an obligation to always show that happiness. Then Francis Schaeffer came along. He could not allow himself to be happy when most of the world was desperately lost and he knew why. He was the first Christian I found who could embrace faith and the despair of a lost humanity at the same time. Though he had been found, he still knew what it was to be lost.

... Schaeffer was the first Christian leader who taught me to weep over the world instead of judging it.

... Schaeffer was a rare Christian leader who advocated understanding and empathizing with non-Christians instead of taking issue with them.

Francis Schaeffer was not afraid to ask why, and he did not rest until he had an answer. Why are our most brilliant thinkers in despair? Why is our art so dark? Why have abortion and euthanasia become so easy on the conscience of a generation? What process of thinking has led to this ultimate denial of the value of human life? Though some may disagree with his answers, no one can gainsay the passion with which he sought them.

The normal human reaction is to hate what we don't understand. This is the stuff of prejudice and the cause of hate crimes and escalating social evil. It is much more Christ-like to identify with those we don't understand—to discover why people do what they do, because we care about them, even if they are our ideological enemies.

Jesus asked us to love our enemies. Part of loving is learning to understand. Too few Christians today seek to understand why their enemies think in ways that we find abhorrent. Too many of us are too busy bashing feminists, secular humanists, gay activists, and political liberals to consider why they believe what they do. It's difficult to sympathize with people we see as threats to our children and our neighborhoods. It's hard to weep over those whom we have declared enemies.
What powerful, penetrating words...! And how so very much like Jesus, of whom Luke declared,
"As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it..." (Luke 19:41 NIV)
Two of the quotes that have always gripped my heart were attributed by those that referenced them to Frank C. Laubach, a missionary statesman from yester year,
"Let my heart be broken with those things that break the heart of God."

"Lord, forgive me for looking at the world through dry eyes."
What God is looking for, of course, in our response to the needs of those who do not know Him is action, not emotion, but it sometimes does us good to weep over the world, especially if it moves us to reach out our hands to others in Christ's name.

May His compassion move us to action...!

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Blackberry...Crackberry...!

How things have changed since email first appeared on the scene a few years ago! I remember thinking back in the early 90's when Teresa and I were living in France and I had just discovered email, "Wow! If only we could communicate with our friends and contacts in the States this way. That would be so much cheaper than transatlantic phone calls and so much quicker than regular mail."


In recent years, the pendulum has swung to the other end of the spectrum, with the proliferation of various kinds of hand-held devices and text-enabled cell phones. A couple of months back, the Wall Street Journal ran an article every "wired" parent needs to read entitled, "BlackBerry Orphans." If you are like me, you will probably say, "Ouch!" sometime before you have finished it, but trust me, it's like that old-fashioned medicine your mother poured into your mouth when you were a kid. It may sting a bit, but it will do you good...!

Here's a little taste to whet your appetite:
In Austin, Texas, Hohlt Pecore, 7, and his sister, Elsa, 4, have complicated relationships with their mother's BlackBerry. "I feel very annoyed," says Hohlt. ... Elsa has hidden the BlackBerry on occasion -- Hohlt says she tried to flush it down the toilet last year. Their mother, Elizabeth Pecore, who co-owns a specialty grocery store, denies the incident. But Elsa also seems to recognize that it brings her mom comfort, not unlike a pacifier or security blanket. Recently, seeing her mom slumped on the couch after work, Elsa fished the BlackBerry from her mother's purse and brought it to her. "Mommy," she asked, "will this make you feel better?" Emma Colonna wishes her parents would behave, at least when they're out in public. The ninth-grade student in Port Washington, N.Y., says she has caught her parents typing emails on their Treos during her eighth-grade awards ceremony, at dinner and in darkened movie theaters. "During my dance recital, I'm 99% sure they were emailing except while I was on stage," she says. "I think that's kind of rude." ... Some mental-health professionals report that the intrusion of mobile email gadgets and wireless technology into family life is a growing topic of discussion in therapy. They have specific tips for dealing with the problem, like putting the device in a drawer during a set time period every day. "A lot of kids are upset by it," says Geraldine Kerr, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Morristown, N.J. She says parents need to recognize that some situations require undivided attention. When you shut off the device, she says, "You're communicating nonverbally that 'you matter and what's important to you is important to me.' " Still, like teenagers sneaking cigarettes behind school, parents are secretly rebelling against the rules. The children of one New Jersey executive mandate that their mom ignore her mobile email from dinnertime until their bedtime. To get around their dictates, the mother hides the gadget in the bathroom, where she makes frequent trips before, during and after dinner. The kids "think I have a small bladder," she says. She declined to be named because she's afraid her 12- and 13-year-old children might discover her secret.

When I read that, it is easy for me to say, "Thank God I've not gone to that extreme!"

The reality is that sometimes my own wife and children have needed to me pry me away from some keyboard or another, insisting that I turn the thing off, while reminding me to look directly into their eyes while listening to them or speaking to them.

Do you have such tendencies? If so, let's hold each other accountable...!

Friday, March 16, 2007

Typos, typos, typos....!

I write most of these posts in a very great hurry, squeezing out a few moments here and there from my other responsibilities. I was shocked, though, to see how many typos, mispellings, and gramamtical errors had made their way into them when I skimmed down this page a few minutes ago. Thanks for your forebearance...!

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Brooklyn Tabernacle here we come...!

Within the past several hours, God has graciously touched the hearts of three different people to provide financing for our pastoral staff to attend the Pastors and Leader's Conference at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City, April 15-17th! While in the city, they will also be able to attend a service at David Wilkerson's Times Square Church.

I believe this will be a great blessing to our entire leadership team. I was especially touched by the fact that a dear pastor friend in Paris, France sent a very, very generous offering to help make this happen...!

Please join me in prayer that this will be a special time of deep spiritual refreshing for our leaders. If you would like to come with us to the conference, you can find more information by clicking here. If you are unfamiliar with Pastor Cymbala's ministry, I encourage you to watch the following video of him preaching at Pastor Jack Hayford's pastor's conference, entitled, Calling Upon the Name of the Lord.

If you have never read Pastor Jim Cymbala's most famous book, Fresh Wind - Fresh Fire, I strongly recommend it as one of my all-time favorites.

Monday, March 05, 2007

The God of the "Not right now...!"

A few moments ago, my five year old son came running into the living room - he rarely walks these days - carrying a sale ad from the Toys-R-Us store with his finger mashed down hard on a picture of a toy scooter. It's the kind any healthy, rambuctious, red-blooded boy would love to careen on around the concrete sidewalk in our backyard, with one foot firmly planted on the running board, and the other pounding the pavement.

He loudly announced, "I want THIS for my birthday...!"

Since that particular date is still a good ten months away, I responded in my best, all-knowing, parental tone, "Well, we'll just have to wait and see."

He doesn't yet know the peculiar role of four-letter words in the English language, but his reaction to the "W" word was predictably visceral: "Daddy, I want it NOW!"

The subject kept coming up throughout breakfast between bubbly bites of Cheerios, and I am sure it will punctuate much of our dialogue throughout the rest of this sunny Monday morning here in Dallas, as I try to explain to his earnest, impatient mind that there is a time and a season for everything, and that there are no birthdays in the Brand household during the month of March.

I am sure God sees some of his conversations with me through the lens of what just took place in our family room and kitchen. I often go to Him in prayer with needs that seem pressing, even earth-shaking in their urgency, convinced of His inherent goodness and generosity, fully expecting a quick response. Sometimes I am stunned when His Spirit whispers these words back to my inner being: "The time for that will come one day, but not right now. Later."

When His ancient people stood poised on the banks of the Jordan River, ready at last to cross over and enter into the destiny He had repeatedly promised them in glowing terms as a place of unbelievable abundance and fulfillment for every family, their leader, Moses, brought them the word of the Lord, prophesying incredible victory over their enemies,

"27 “I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. 28 I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land." (Exodus 23:27-30, NIV)
Imagine the thrill that went through the heart of every warrior as they heard the Lord Almighty spell out the terror and confusion He was going to wreak on their enemies by His own, outstretched hand! Then came the words they did not want to hear, "But I will not drive them out in a single year...Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land."

God's "little by littles" in my own life have often taken much longer than I would have chosen. Like most every child that has ever lived, I was certain I was ready for my destiny far quicker than my Heavenly Father. In His infinite wisdom, though, He has always known how to perfectly pace my progress. My challenge has been to neither lag behind Him or nor run out ahead of Him as He unfolds His plan for my life in His own, good time.

Let me encourage you to begin this new work week with the principle of Exodus 23:30 hidden in your heart. Little by little, He will fulfill His promises. He is with you, His eyes are upon you, and He has promised to work for you, and through you as you walk with Him. Dare to trust Him enough to establish the when as well as the what and the where of your destiny. He is never late. He is never early. He is always right on time!

Saturday, March 03, 2007

When God speaks...

Teresa and I just returned home last night from participating in meetings this week with Dr. David Shibley's apostolic advisory council and during his pastor's forum at the beautiful Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Missouri.

When I turned on my laptop to begin working this morning, I had not yet had time to read my latest copy of Christianity Today magazine. As I quickly perused the latest posts from a list of blogs I sometimes read, the phrase, "My Conversation with God”: An Anonymous Testimony That Made My Day" from the Charismatica blog by Vineyard Fellowship's Dr. Michael Davis caught my eye. Hats off to him for pointing the way to a great testimony of modern day, direct Holy Spirit leading by an anonymous professor of theology and contributing editor of Christianity Today who had never experienced anything like that until a little over one year ago.

Learning to recognize and respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit when He speaks to our inner being is a very important part of growing in Christ and fulfiling our spiritual destiny. The Apostle Paul put it this way, "...all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." (Romans 8:14, New Living Translation) Many months ago, I posted some rough notes entitled, "How Do I Know It's God? : Evaluating Prophetic Words" on my Lessons in Leadership blog for Christian leaders, listing seven important questions all of us need to ask ourselves as we seek to discern the voice of God guiding us through life.

One of the most important things for us to remember is that God wants to reveal His will to us and has promised to do so if we open our hearts to Him! In fact, the Bible is filled with precious promises from God, assuring those who love Him of His continual guidance. Here are a few worth hiding in your heart, the first three from the writings of the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah,

"21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”" (Isaiah 30:21, NIV)

"16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." (Isaiah 42:16, NIV)

"17 This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." (Isaiah 48:17, NIV)

One from the Old Testament Book of Psalms,

"8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." (Psalm 32:8, NIV)

And one from the first of three letters from the Apostle John in the New Testament,

"27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him." (1 John 2:27, NIV)